I just finished up the first of four (doctor ordered) walks today. Walking and drinking plenty of water are the two things my doctor recommended to speed my recovery from surgery, so my commitment to doing them is unshakable.

There are other things I can do, too. I can rest in-between treadmill sessions, eat healthy foods that are easy on my stomach, and resist the temptation to lift anything heavier than a carton of milk (for the next four to six weeks!).

I can also focus my thoughts on how well I am doing instead of fretting about the things I won’t be able to do for a while. This recovery period is temporary and I will be back to my regular workouts–and strength and energy–before I know it!

Beyond doing these and a few others things, my wellness is beyond my control. I can support my immune system and healing process, but I can’t control it. Regardless of whether anyone else would see me right now and think “optimal wellness,” I can maintain my knowing that wellness is absolutely and completely mine. But I can’t dictate how quickly it will come or when others will acknowledge that reality.

The absolute best thing I can do is spend the majority of my time feeling good—and doing what I can do—and letting go of all those things I can’t control.

Too often we wrap our mind and results around the things over which we have absolutely no influence and ignore the things that we actually can do.

One way to shift this dynamic is to draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper and on the left-hand side, write down all the things that you can actually do to meet your goal—and then do them. On the right hand side, write down all the things that are outside of your control. Those are the things you have to turn over to the Universe (God, Source Energy, Higher Self, All-That-Is—whatever works for you)—and then let those things go.

Whenever you catch yourself worrying or stressing about those things that are outside of your control, shift your thoughts back to what you can do and celebrate what you are doing.

The key to optimal wellness—and living the life of your dreams—is to look for more ways to feel good everyday and let go of what you can’t control.

Together we can do it!